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Desperate for a positive result, Manchester United welcomed Brighton & Hove Albion to Old Trafford for their Premier League matchday 25 clash on Tuesday night.
Much to the delight of home supporters, the Red Devils produced a convincing second-half performance, bagging a 2-0 win in the process.
Portuguese duo Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes came up with the goods in the 51st and injury time, respectively, to seal the win. The victory saw the hosts leapfrog West Ham United and climb up to fourth in the Premier League table.
Despite being the better team on paper, Manchester United struggled to get a foothold in the game in the first half. From creating chances to gifting opportunities to United, it was all Brighton’s doing. Both teams tested each other’s keepers in the first 45, but the breakthrough was not destined to come before the second half.
Having collected the ball from Scott McTominay, Ronaldo found the back of the net in supreme style from the edge of the Brighton box in the 51st minute. A minute after falling behind, the Seagulls were reduced to 10 men, courtesy of Lewis Dunk’s foul on Anthony Elanga. Playing with a man advantage, United found a spring in their step and continued carving out goalscoring opportunities.
Despite getting plenty of decent chances to extend their advantage, United’s insurance goal did not come until the seventh minute of injury time. Fernandes found himself at the end of a well-worked counter-attack and applied the finishing touch.
Here are five Manchester United players who helped them return to winning ways in the Premier League on Tuesday night:
#5 David de Gea
The Red Devils’ most dependable player of the season, David de Gea, once again fired on all cylinders last night.
The Spanish goalkeeper was calm, marshaled his troops well and made three impressive first-half saves to keep his team in the game.
His finest moment in the match came in the 39th minute when he denied Jakum Moder from close range. The attacking midfielder rose the highest to turn in Joel Veltman’s fine delivery.
The former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper read the situation well and dived to his right to keep Moder's effort out. Great stop by one of the best in the business.
#4 Scott McTominay
Scott McTominay may not be the most excitable player in the Premier League, but he is far from a pushover.
Although he has his fair share of problems, especially when it comes to breaking at pace, the Scotland international can produce a gem or two when needed.
Following a disappointing first half in which he rarely did anything of note, McTominay sprung to life in the second 45.
He robbed Yves Bissouma of possession and set up Ronaldo for his 51st-minute strike.
The Scot also completed the most tackles (3) and won the most duels (10) in the match.
#3 Jadon Sancho
Manchester United spent a whopping €85million to bring Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund to Old Trafford last summer.
The 21-year-old was asked to solve United’s lack of attacking guile right away but naturally failed to live up to expectations.
Now that he has settled in and found his footing in Manchester, things are bound to look up for the young Englishman.
On Tuesday night, Sancho produced an impressive performance down the left flank, giving fans a glimpse of what he’s capable of. Yes, he missed a good chance to put United ahead early in the first half, but that shouldn’t take anything away from his overall performance.
The youngster took on defenders and left them for dead, combined well with Ronaldo, and contributed immensely to the Red Devils’ pressing game.
A confidence-boosting performance from the England international.
#2 Bruno Fernandes
Bruno Fernandes was by far Manchester United’s standout performer last season. He scored 18 goals and registered 13 assists in the Premier League alone, emerging as the team’s leading light in attack.
With Cristiano Ronaldo now in the team, his goalscoring run has hit a little snag, but Fernandes is still capable of putting his boot through when needed.
Fernandes did not have a great first half against Brighton, but his game improved in leaps and bounds in the second 45. He helped United make use of their extra man after Dunk’s dismissal, orchestrating and getting at the end of a neat counter-attack.
In the seventh minute of injury time, the Portugal international received a pass from Pogba, drove into the box and slotted it calmly past Robert Sanchez to seal United’s win.
Apart from scoring his eighth Premier League goal of the season, Fernandes provided five key passes and won four duels.
A complete performance by the Portuguese midfielder.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Much has been said about Cristiano Ronaldo recently. Some have criticized his body language while others have highlighted his waning influence on the team.
On Tuesday night, Ronaldo once again one-upped his doubters by scoring the opener for Manchester United in exceptional fashion.
After enduring a relatively quiet first half, the 37-year-old finally found his footing after the break. Minutes into the second half, Ronaldo received a ball from McTominay, skipped over Adam Webster’s challenge, and rifled the ball into the back of the net.
The goal marked Ronaldo’s first strike in 2022, putting an end to his nine-game goalless run.
The former Real Madrid man could have added one or two more goals to his tally on Tuesday. Unfortunately, both his headed efforts lacked the sharpness they needed.
Overall, it was an excellent display by the Portuguese and United will need more of the same from him to keep their top-four hopes alive.
